


love for one so small

by dollsome



Category: How I Met Your Mother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-17
Updated: 2011-12-17
Packaged: 2017-10-27 10:40:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/294918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dollsome/pseuds/dollsome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barney and Robin babysit Marshall and Lily's kid for the first time. (Spoilers through "Symphony of Illumination.")</p>
            </blockquote>





	love for one so small

It’s quiet in Marshall and Lily’s apartment: the kind of quiet you don’t want to mess with, because it’s well-earned and sort of perfect and only a douchebag would get in the way of it. Ted went out to get food for everybody; Marshall and Lily are passed out in their bedroom, catching up on all the sleep they can while they have the chance. This leaves Barney and Robin out in the living room. Well, Barney and Robin and baby. Baby seems really into staring at the world around him, and not that into sleep.

Barney’s holding him, murmuring a soft, giddy jumble of nonsense words and stupid noises. It seems like it’s working. Robin watches from the other end of the couch. ‘From the other end of the couch,’ like it’s so far away. It isn’t. It kind of feels like it. Like Barney’s B.C. and she’s Nova Scotia.

He’s already really good at the cool uncle thing. Then again, he’s got practice, because of James’s kids. Robin doesn’t really feel like a cool aunt. More like that weird aunt that always smells like mothballs and only lets you eat raisins when you come over to visit. Which doesn’t even make sense because she hates raisins.

It’s not that she’s not happy. She is. Watching Marshall and Lily with their kid is maybe the best thing she’s ever seen. She loves them so much, and they’re so happy, and it’s awesome.

But watching Barney with him—

Barney finishes muttering something like “goo goo ga ga bro code Armani” and tries to high five the baby. In the process, some tiny baby fingers curl around some Barney fingers and the sight brings a stupid lump to Robin’s throat. Barney looks like he’s going to cry from joy.

“Look at you,” Robin says in a barely-there whisper. “Mr. Dad.”

Barney looks over at her, his expression soft and boyish and kind. She thinks she’ll always be a little in love with him, at least during the moments he’s got that look on his face. Friggin’ face.

“Please,” he murmurs back, and somehow manages to snort quietly. “It’s Uncle Badass.”

Her heart is such a stupid heart. “Is it?”

“Official title,” Barney says, smiling at her like he couldn’t be happier. Couldn’t wish for anything more. “True story.”

It seems too easy. It seems like too much, way too much, to ask him to give up. And God, she wants to believe him.

“And that’s enough?” she tests. “Like, that’s good for you?”

He’s still got that smile on his face, that just-for-her smile. He lifts one hand to her face and brushes his thumb across her cheek. “Who could ask for anything more?”

She does not cry, not even a little, because she’s Robin Scherbatsky and, haven’t you heard, she doesn’t do that.

“Hey, look, it’s your Auntie Robin,” Barney says to the baby, pointing at her with great enthusiasm. “One day, this magnificent lady is going to teach you everything you need to know about scotch.”

“Hiya, Hurricane,” Robin says softly. As far as placeholder names go, she’s kinda starting to like it. It would make a pretty sweet middle name. (The two top contenders for first name right now: Marvin, for Marshall’s dad, and Leif, for the Viking. It’s a tough call. Robin is pretty sure he’ll be Marvin Leif [Hurricane] Aldrin-Eriksen within the next couple days.)

“You wanna hold him?” Barney says, like it’s the easiest thing in the world. Like he doesn’t doubt for a second that she can.

She figures nothing can go too wrong with Barney right here.

“Yeah,” she says, “yeah, okay,” and she holds out her hands.


End file.
